Abdominal Support

ABSTRACT

An abdominal support ( 2 ) which includes a pair of shoulder and back straps ( 3, 4, 5, 6 ), each of which passes over one of the wearer&#39;s shoulders, crosses over the wearer&#39;s upper back, and connects to the other shoulder and back strap at the wearer&#39;s side; a sling support ( 7, 8 ) is secured to each shoulder and back strap at or adjacent the wearer&#39;s side and a support sling ( 9 ) extends from one sling support to the other, passing beneath the wearer&#39;s abdomen in use; the sling incorporates length adjustment means.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a support for the abdomen. Thesupport of the present invention is especially useful for supporting thedistended abdomen during the later months of pregnancy, and will bedescribed with a special reference to this application. However, thesupport of the present invention also is useful for abdominal support incases where the abdomen is distended for other reasons e.g., obesity ormuscle damage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] A distended abdomen, typical of the later months of pregnancy,distorts a woman's posture, putting a strain on her back and upon herabdominal muscles. In the case of pregnancy, the weight of the fetusadds to the problem:- women in their third trimester of pregnancytypically suffer from strained backs and abdominal muscles, togetherwith varicose veins caused by the abnormal pressure on the vascularsystem. These problems often cause fatigue, and in many cases causeconsiderable discomfort and even pain.

[0003] Over the last 120 years, a number of abdominal supports have beenproposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 284,831 dated Sep. 11, 1883discloses a simple sling type of support, with a broad band passingunder and over the lower part of the abdomen, supported from shoulderstraps. However, the design incorporates very little adjustment:-theonly adjustment is the length of each shoulder strap, at a point alongthe length of the strap above the front of the abdomen. This type ofadjustment offers little scope for the very wide range of body sizes andshapes which need to be accommodated, so that a range of different sizesof support would have to be manufactured. Further, the adjustment issuch that it tends to pull the abdominal sling upwards over theabdomen:-this does not give optimum support to the abdomen.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 3,273,563 dated Sep. 20, 1966 discloses a designvery similar to that of No. U.S. Pat. No. 284,831, but with the additionof a belt around the wearer's back, presumably to improve support.However, the straps are adjusted in a very similar position to thatdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 284,831, with much the same disadvantages.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,715 dated Feb. 1, 1977 also discloses adesign generally similar to U.S. Pat. No. 284,831 but with the onlyadjustment located under each armpit. In fact, the design offers minimaladjustment and appears to rely almost entirely on the elasticity of thematerial used for providing adequate support.

[0006] A number of prior proposals show abdominal supports incorporatedinto garments:- U.S. Pat. No. 3,621,849 dated Nov. 23, 1971, U.S. Pat.No. 4,789,372 dated Dec. 6, 1988, U.S. Pat. No. 4,835,795 dated Jun. 6,1989, U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,318 dated May 24, 1988, U.S. Pat. No.4,822,317 dated Apr. 18, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,192 dated Aug. 28,1990 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,059 dated Jul. 27, 1999. In all thesepatents, a support is incorporated into a girdle (often including a bra)or panty or even incorporated into a bodysuit. The more comprehensivethe support, the more complex the adjustments required to make it fitcomfortably, and the hotter it is to wear. Since a woman's bodygenerates a great deal of surplus heat during the later months ofpregnancy, a support which makes the wearer even hotter is unlikely toprove an advantage, no matter how much support it offers. Further, thegarment type of support in most cases would need to be made in a verylarge range of sizes, to fit all body sizes and types; this very greatlyincreases the cost of the support.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide an abdominalsupport which is not incorporated into a garment and which is effectivein transferring part of the abdominal load to the wearer's shoulderswhilst offering a wide range of adjustment to suit the wearer'sparticular size and shape.

[0008] A further object of the present invention is to provide anabdominal support which lifts and cradles the abdominal bulge ratherthan compressing it, as if the bulge were being supported and lifted bythe wearer's own hands. A further object is to provide an abdominalsupport which can be easily and comfortably adjusted by the wearer inuse.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

[0009] The present invention provides an abdominal support notincorporated in a garment, said support including a pair of shoulder andback straps, each of which is designed to pass over one of the wearer'sshoulders, cross over the wearer's upper back, and connect to the othershoulder and back strap at the wearer's side; a sling support secured toeach shoulder and back strap at or adjacent to the wearer's side; and asupporting sling arranged so as to extend from one sling support to theother, passing beneath the wearer's abdomen in use, said slingincorporating length adjustment means.

[0010] Said sling length adjustment means may comprise forming the slingas two overlapping portions provided with complementary fasteners,preferably hook and loop fasteners.

[0011] Alternatively, said sling length adjustment means is constitutedby arranging each end of the sling to pass through the adjacent slingsupport and be doubled back on itself, each end of the sling beingreleasably securable to the remainder of the sling, preferably by hookand loop fasteners.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0012] By way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention is described in detail with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:-

[0013]FIG. 1 is a front view of a person wearing the support of thepresent invention;

[0014]FIG. 2 is a side view of the person of FIG. 1;

[0015]FIG. 2a is a plan view of part of FIG. 2 on an enlarged scale; and

[0016]FIG. 3 is a rear view of the person of FIG. 1.

[0017] Referring to the drawings, a support 2 in accordance with thepresent invention comprises first and second shoulder straps 3,4, eachof which is secured at one end to a corresponding back strap 5,6 and atthe other end to a fitting 7,8. The free end of each back strap also issecured to the corresponding fitting 7,8. Thus, the shoulder straps 3,4,back straps 5,6 and fitting 7,8 together form an upper body harnesswhich provides a pair of shoulder straps each of which passes over thewearer's shoulder, across the wearer's upper back, and is secured to thecorresponding fitting a short distance below and in front of thewearer's arm on the opposite side to the corresponding shoulder.

[0018] Each shoulder strap 3,4 is wide and padded, to spread the loadand to avoid any cutting in. Each shoulder strap 3,4 optionally may beadjustable in length, by incorporating a known type of adjusting buckle3 a, 4 a. Each back strap 5,6 preferably is made of wide elasticmaterial and may be formed as two separate straps or (as shown) as acombined v-shaped strap.

[0019] Each fitting 7,8 provides an anchorage for the respective end ofthe shoulder and back straps, and also for the remainder of the support,as hereinafter described. Each fitting 7,8 is a rectangular buckle asshown in detail in FIG. 2a. At each side of the wearer, one end of theback strap 5,6 is secured to one of the long sides a of the respectivefitting 8,7, and the end of the shoulder strap 4,3 is secured to a shortside b of the fitting 8,7. The straps are secured to the buckle simplyby looping the ends of the straps around the buckle and sewing the endto the remainder of the strap.

[0020] The lower part of the support comprises a sling 9 in the form ofa wide band of suitable material (e.g. cotton fabric) which is ofsufficient length to extend from one side of the wearer's abdomen,around the other long side c of the first fitting 7, underneath thelower abdomen of the wearer, around the other long side of the otherfitting 8, and down the other side of the wearer's abdomen. Each fitting7,8 simply needs to provide a secure anchorage for supporting the sling9, through which the sling can slide and turn back on itself.

[0021] The centre portion of the sling 9 carries a length of hook andloop fastener 10 on its outer surface, as indicated in broken lines inFIG. 1. The ends of the sling each carry a complementary strip of hookand loop fastener on their underside (not visible). Each end of thesling also carries a mitten or pocket 11,12 which provides space for theinsertion of two or more of the wearer's fingers, as shown in FIG. 1.Alternatively, the mitten or pocket could be formed as a loop.

[0022] The above described support is used as follows:- first, thewearer puts on the upper body harness and, if necessary, adjusts thelength of the shoulder straps 3,4 so that each fitting 7,8 hangs at theside of the wearer, at a level somewhere between the wearer's bust andwaist. The sling 9 is loosely adjusted under the wearer's lower abdomen,so that it lies comfortably underneath the abdominal bulge. The wearerthen inserts one hand into each mitten 11, 12 and moves her hands intothe position shown in FIG. 1 (i.e. as though supporting the abdominalbulge with her hands) whilst gently pulling on the ends of the sling 9until the sling gives comfortable but firm support to the abdominalbulge. When the sling is comfortably adjusted, the wearer simply pressesthe section of hook and loop fastener at the end of each sling under thecomplementary section of hook and loop fastener 10 on the outer surfaceof the sling, thus securing the sling at the required length. The wearerthen removes her hands from the mittens.

[0023] An alternative design for the sling 9 is shown in FIG. 1 only:-in this case, the ends of the sling 9 carrying the mittens 11,12 areomitted, and the portions of the sling which pass through the fittings7,8 are permanently secured to those fittings. The centre portion of thesling 9 is formed as two pieces, each carrying a complementary sectionof hook and loop fastener. The length of the sling is adjusted by thewearer by adjusting the degree of overlap of the two portions of thesling 9; the end of one overlapping portion is indicated by broken lines9 a.

[0024] If the wearer requires extra back support, a back waist belt 13may be fastened between the fittings 7 and 8, across the back of thewearer, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 3. The belt 13 may be made of asingle elastic section or two or more sections adjustable in length bymeans of hook and loop fasteners.

[0025] The above described support can be quickly and easily put on orremoved or adjusted to give a firmer or less firm support. It will beappreciated that the support transfers much of the weight of theabdominal bulge directly to the shoulders and upper back; this weight iswell spread due to the wide shoulder straps and wide, elastic backstraps. The crossover design of the back straps prevents the shoulderstraps from slipping off the shoulder.

[0026] Since the sling is supported only from the sides, it cradles andlifts the abdominal bulge rather than trying to compress it:- this isvery much more comfortable for the wearer. Further, because the upperbody harness contacts only the shoulders and upper back, the wearer'schest is not constricted in any way.

[0027] The support can easily be adjusted to suit a range of body sizesand types.

1. An abdominal support not incorporated in a garment, said supportincluding a pair of shoulder and. back straps, each of which is designedto pass over one of the wearer's shoulders, cross over the wearer'supper back, and connect to the other shoulder and back straps at thewearer's side; a sling support secured to each shoulder and back strapat or adjacent the wearer's side; and a supporting sling arranged toextend from one sling support to the other, passing beneath the wearer'sabdomen in use, said sling incorporating length adjustment means.
 2. Theabdominal support as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sling lengthadjustment means comprises forming the sling as two overlapping portionseach provided with a complementary fastener.
 3. The abdominal support asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said sling length adjustment means isconstituted by arranging each end of the sling to pass through theadjacent sling support and be doubled back on itself, each end of thesling being releasably securable to the remainder of the sling.
 4. Theabdominal support as claimed in claim 3 wherein each end of the sling isprovided with a mitten, pocket or loop which is arranged to receive thewearer's fingers, to enable the wearer in use to pull on the ends of thesling to adjust the length of the sling under the wearer's abdomen. 5.The abdominal support as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein at leastpart of the portion of the sling which passes beneath the wearer'sabdomen in use is provided with a portion of hook and loop fastener andeach end of the sling is provided with a complementary portion of hookand loop fastener, to enable each end of the sling to be secured.
 6. Theabdominal support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, whereinthe portion of each shoulder and back strap which passes over thewearer's shoulder in use is padded.
 7. The abdominal support as claimedin any one of the preceding claims wherein the portion of each shoulderand back strap which passes over the wearer's shoulder in use isadjustable in length.
 8. The abdominal support as claimed in any one ofthe preceding claims wherein the portion of each shoulder and back strapwhich passes across the wearer's back in use is made of an elasticmaterial.
 9. The abdominal support as claimed in any one of thepreceding claims wherein the portion of the shoulder and back strapswhich passes across the wearer's back in use is formed in one piece. 10.The abdominal support as claimed in any one of the preceding claimsfurther comprising an additional back strap securable between said slingsupports and in use arranged to pass around the back of the waist of thewearer.